“I’ll drop you off. I’m going over to the pub to talk to Mike. I think he deserves to know.”
“I think so too but Chemistry awaits. I’ll see you tonight in the room and you can fill me in then.”
“Will do buddy. I should be back by 9 tonight. I have a couple of papers that I have put off for too long and I need to do some serious work tonight.” Chris pulled over and let Duff out in front of the Chem building.
Chapter 24
Chris made his way to the pub. When he walked into the pub Mike caught his eye and waved him over to the bar. Chris made a beeline to great Mike. The old pub owner came around the bar and hugged Chris. “It’s good to see you Mike.” Chris patted his back signaling the end of the public display of affection man style.
“It’s good to see you boy.” Mike stepped back and wiped at his eye.
“Mike, what’s wrong?” Concern showed all over Chris’s face.
“Nothing, I heard about your night in jail and was worried about you. I was planning to go visit you later this afternoon.
“No need for that Mike. I’m here and fine. How did you find out about that anyway?”
“This is an Irish pub and a lot of the cops in this town are of course Irish. A couple of guards came in late last night for a quick one. We got to talking and they filled me in on what happened. That detective is an ass and everyone in the station knows it. So are you really ok?”
“I’m fine Mike. We got out this morning and headed to Boston to talk to the FBI. We spoke to a guy named Jack Anderson and he believed us. They are going to call us when they are ready to move on him. Mat is done.”
“Thank you Chris. I will rest a lot better knowing that SOB will soon be behind bars for what he did to my little girl.” Mike wiped his eyes again. “Damn dust.”
“Ya dust.” Chris wiped his eyes as well.
Mike walked behind the bar and poured Chris a pint. Letting it settle on the bar Mike said, “This one is on the house and you don’t have to hide in the corner you drink it at the bar.”
Chris smiled and said, “Thanks Mike.”
The two talked about the details of the conversation Chris had with the FBI. After 3 hours there was not much else to say and Chris excused himself heading back to the dorm.
Chapter 25
Mat sat in his room hunched over his computer. He had pictures on a flash drive that he would spend hours looking at. He would relive the excitement of each attack over and over again. The problem was the mental reenactment was never as good as the real thing. As he flipped from picture to picture his frustration continued to grow. As it reached its peak Mat smashed his hands down on the keyboard. Several of the keys flew off. “Shit, shit, shit,” Mat said as he pounded his fists on the keyboard in time with each word. Mat jumped up from his chair and tipped it over. He reached under his bed and grabbed his black backpack. He unzipped it and took out his black pants, shirt, shoes, and mask. He changed quickly and headed out the back door of his dorm. He walked past the library and entered the woods behind the edifice. His breathing slowed and he began to get excited knowing he was going to kill again.
From his vantage point in the woods he was able to watch the street that ran behind the library. He could see a hundred yards in each direction. As time passed the number of people walking became less and less. At 2:30AM the street was empty except for a lone female student walking home from a late night study session with her girlfriends. It took him a minute to recognize the student. It was Melissa. The 98 pound sophomore who just returned from a year of study abroad would make a fine addition to his exclusive club of victims.
Melissa walked with purpose as she headed back to her dorm on the other side of campus. She knew she should have called for an escort with a murderer on the loose but Mel knew she could handle herself. In her hand she had her keys and a small round piece of metal known as a kubaton. She fingered the kubaton nervously. She was ready if she needed to be.
Mat waited until she had walked past him. He was so close he could smell her perfume. The excitement was too much to contain. He jumped from the woods onto the road and in three steps he grabbed Melissa by the hair and pulled her back toward his chest. His plan was to wrap his arms around her and place the knife at her throat. He would then order her into the woods and the fun would begin.
Well in life sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you’re just a bug. Today Mat became the bug. Melissa screamed as he yanked her by the hair, but she kept her head and spun around to face Mat. She thrust the kubaton into Mat’s neck and he screamed. He slapped her and she fell to the ground.
“Not today you sick SOB,” Melissa screamed at the top of her lungs. As she came to her feet she saw the knife. She swung her arm at his knife hand the kubaton hit the back of his wrist. The pain she inflicted was mind numbing and Mat dropped the knife.
“I’ll kill you bitch,” Mat cursed her.
“Not today asshole.” Melissa closed the gap between them and swung wildly with the kubaton. Each time it struck Mat he let out a yell. Melissa was smiling now. She was going to take this guy down.
Mat had taken a defensive posture and as she swung he dodged and punched Melissa in the side of her head. She saw stars and fell to the ground. For a moment she thought she would lose consciousness and fought to keep her wits about her. Mat stepped forward and kicked her in the ribs. There was a satisfying crunch as at least two ribs broke. Melissa could no longer take a deep breath. It was like fire every time she tried. Tears ran down her face as she realized she was in real trouble.
Mat kept kicking until Melissa could no longer get up. She lay on the ground crying. Mat picked up the knife and grabbed Melissa by the hair and started dragging her into the woods.
Melissa thought this was the end and resigned herself to a gruesome death.
“I’m so going to kill you slowly for that bitch.”
Melissa unable to fight him off sobbed uncontrollably.
From out of the dark about 100 yards away came cry. “Hey, what the hell are you doing?” The man came running toward Mat and Melissa.
Mat knew he had to get out of there. He dropped Melissa and ran. The man, a campus security guard, ran up to Melissa and asked if she was OK. Melissa just cried and held on to the guard for all she was worth.
“It ok Miss. Everything is going to be fine. He’s gone.” The guard reached for his radio and said, “Base this is unit 4. I have just interrupted an attack on a student on Winston Drive. I need the police and an ambulance right away.”
“Unit 4 police and ambulance are both on the way. Unit 2 and 6 are also on their way to your location. Base out,” crackled over the radio clipped to his hip.
“They are coming Miss, just lay still and relax.” The security guard took off his coat and laid it over Melissa to help prevent shock.
Melissa said, “I tried….” Then the pain and darkness overtook her and she passed out.
Chapter 26
Melissa woke in the hospital with a start. She shot up and found she was hooked up to several machines. She examined the lines running into her arm. She tried to remember what happened, how she got here, and what happened to her attacker. There was a knock at the door as it opened and the light was switched on.
“Miss Michaels, you’re awake. We have been worried about you. I’ll let your doctor know, but first you need to lay down, you’re in no condition to sit up.” The nurse turned to leave and Melissa called after her.
“How long have I been out?
“You’ve been here for 3 days and this is the first time you have been coherent. You took a real beating and we had to remove your spleen. You have several broken ribs and some nasty contusions. Your parents are in town, I will call them to tell them the good news. Now you just rest honey and I’ll spread the word.” The nurse turned and left the room.
“Thank you,” Melissa called
after the nurse.
Half an hour later Dr. Higgins came into the room. He was all business as he examined Melissa. “How are you feeling?”
“Other than I can’t breathe deeply and my head feels like it is going to explode any minute, I’m good.”
Dr Higgins smiled and said, “Well at least you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”
“Are my parents ok,” Concern was written across her face.
“They are fine. They have been worried. Your mom only left your side last night when I kicked her out to get some rest. Your dad has been dealing with the local police and the FBI. He was in here last night for a few hours. I guess he is not impressed with the locals and he has been raising hell with the FBI. Right now the FBI has 20 extra agents posted on campus. They said they are just days away from capturing this guy.”
Melissa was crying as her parents came to mind. They have enough on their plate without worrying about me she thought.
“Well you have a couple of visitors outside. They have been here every day and just arrived as I was coming in. Are you up to some visitors?”
“Ya that would be great. Who are they?”
“Some friends from school. They came in about an hour after you arrived in the ER. They have been patiently waiting. Well I have real sick people to tend to I’ll send them in on my out.”
“Thanks Doc, for everything.”
“No problem. Now don’t overdo it. If you get tired you need to sleep. I’ll check in with you later today.” Dr Higgins stepped out the door and called for Melissa’s visitors. As they came close he said, “She is week. So don’t stay to long and don’t upset her.”
“We won’t Doc. Thanks.” Chris and Duff entered the room slowly and said, “Hey Melissa. It’s Chris O’Driscoll and Duff from school, may we come in?”
Melissa’s first instinct was to cringe away until she saw Chris and Duff smiling at her. “You’re in my Lit 201 class and I have Chemistry with you.” A smile broke out on her face. “Come in please.”
Chris and Duff walked over to her bedside and she shook their hands. “You look a lot better than you did when they brought you in. How are you feeling?”
“I’m ok, just really sore and tired. So why are you guys here?”
Chris took the lead and said, “I don’t know what anyone has told you but you were attacked by the same guy that has been killing girls on campus. You’re lucky; you’re the first one to escape. My girlfriend Amy was not so lucky.” Chris looked at the floor as the thought of Amy and her death came crashing into his mind.”
“I remember Amy, I always loved her accent. She was such a wonderful person, always kind and generous. I’m sorry for your loss Chris.”
“Thank you,” was all Chris could manage to say.
Duff spoke up and asked the questions they needed to find answers for. “Did you know the guy who attacked you?”
“No sorry. But I did manage to make the bastard bleed.”
“You did? That is great how did you do that?”
“If you look on my key chain you’ll see a Kobaton. My dad got it for me for self protection before I came to college. It has a sharp point on one end and I stabbed at him several times before he clocked me out of the fight.” Melissa looked down and felt like crying.
Chris spoke up, “Hey Melissa you did great. Can we take your keys to the FBI? We think we know who did it and this will give us more proof to put this guy away forever.”
“They are in my coat pocket in the closet. Help yourself. If it stops this guy then I’m glad to help. I’m sorry guys but I am getting tired. I think I should sleep now.”
“No problem. We’ll get out of here. Thanks for your help. We’ll keep you in the loop on this guy. Sleep well.” Chris and Duff collected the keys then were out the door.
Once outside they talked about getting the keychain to Jack. Duff walked over to a phone booth started dialing numbers. “I’m calling Jack have you got his card?”
“Ya, sure. Here it is,” Chris said handing the business card to Duff.
Duff finished dialing and waited for the first ring.
“Jack Anderson,” Chimed through the receiver.
“Jack its Duff.”
“Good morning Duff. What can I do for you?”
“Well actually it’s what we can do for you. We got the weapon that Melissa used on Mat. It’s covered in his blood.”
“Nice work. I’m leaving the office now. I’ll meet you at your dorm. Make sure you put them in a plastic bag and don’t let them out of your sight for even a second. We will need to fill out a chain of custody form so the defense can toss it out.”
“Don’t worry Jack, we used a latex glove from Melissa’s room and folded the keys in it. Chris has it in his hand right now and will until you get here.”
“Perfect. You too really need to come to work for me. I like your instincts. See you soon.” The phone line went dead.
“He’s coming to meet us now at the dorm. We are supposed to make sure we maintain custody of the keys until Jack gets here.”
“Well that won’t be hard.” Chris smiled at Duff.
“Not hard at all.” The two drove back to the dorm to wait.
They got settled in and had been waiting for an hour when there came a knock at the door. Chris jumped up and ran to peer through the door’s peep hole expecting to see Jack Anderson. The expression on his face soured. Chris ran to his bed and shoved the keys and the rubber glove under his pillow. He motioned to Duff to answer the door.
Duff looked at Chris questioning his actions.
“It’s Barnes,” Chris whispered.
Duff rose from his bed and smiled at Chris as he went to get the door. Just as he reached for the handle there came another pounding on the door. Duff yanked the door open and yelled, “WHAT!!!”
Barnes took a step back from the door, shocked at the greeting. When he regained his composure he stepped forward and said, “I need to have a word with you two.”
Duff was feeling good that he had scared the crap out of Barnes and stood right up to him. “About what?”
“May I come in,” Barnes asked?
“ No,” Duff responded and began to close the door.
Barnes put out his arm and pushed Duff and the door back open. He stepped inside the room and closed the door.
“The hell man. You can’t just come barging in here.” Duff was mad now and stood between Chris and Barnes.
“It’s ok Duff. Barnes likes to abuse his power.” Chris was angry but did not want to spend another night in jail.
Duff took a step back and said, “What do you want Barnes? We got things to do and places to go.”
“Hand it over.” Barnes puffed out his chest and glared at Chris.
“Hand what over Barnes? You’re not making much sense.” Chris smirked at Duff then turned to Barnes with his best innocent face.
“The keys, smart ass, the keys.”
Chris looked puzzled for a moment then shrugged and pulled his keychain out of his pocket and tossed them to Barnes.
He snagged them out of thin air and took a good looked at them. His facial expression changed to one of anger and hatred. “What is this?”
Chris spoke up right away. “It’s my keys. Geeze Barnes you come in here yelling about wanting my keys, I give them to you and you’re all mad. I wish you would make up your mind what you want. This is getting confusing.”
Duff had to turn away from Barnes to keep from laughing in his face.
Barnes threw the keys down. He grabbed Chris and pulled him to his feet. Duff started to step in and Chris just held up a hand. “I want Melissa’s keys. They are evidence and you have no right to have them. I could arrest you right now for obstruction. So if you don’t want to spend more time in jail then keep up the funny act. I mean knock….”
“I know what you meant Barnes. You can’t do anything un
til you find the keys in our possession and you can’t search us or our apartment without a search warrant. So let go of me now and get out of here. You have no authority here you blowhard.”
The look of shock on Barnes’s face was priceless. Duff had turned and looked at Barnes with a huge smile on his face. “Hey Barnes don’t worry about solving this case you couldn’t do it when we handed you all the evidence you needed. Finding Melissa’s keys is not going to help you. Why don’t you just go find yourself a donut shop and feed your fat face? Police work is obviously too much for your little mind.” Both Duff and Chris laughed out loud.
Barnes lost it. He hit Chris in the gut knocking the wind out of him. Duff drew back for a round house but Barnes blocked it with his elbow and hit Duff with an uppercut that knocked Duff off his feet. Chris was getting his second wind and kicked Barnes as hard as he could in the knee. There was a pop and Barnes went down. Chris and Duff started towards Barnes as he fumbled with his coat. Just before Duff could kick Barnes in the ribs he had his gun out and pointed it at Duff’s face.
“Do it you little prick and I will end you.” Duff and Chris backed away. Barnes cocked the revolver. I have had it with both of you. I could kill you right now for attacking a police officer and they would give me a metal. Get on your knees, both of you. I think your lessons in real life and police work are over and you two failed the final test.” Barnes took aim and asked, “Where do you want it?”
The door to the room burst open and Jack Anderson rushed into the room with his gun drawn. “FBI put the gun down now or I will shoot. Do it slowly or I will shoot. Do anything wrong and I will shoot you. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Barnes slowly lowered his revolver to the floor.
“Chris, Duff, you boys ok?”
“Just a little roughed up, but we’ll be fine. Did I tell you that your timing is perfect?”
“I’ve been standing outside listening for the past few minutes. I heard it all. I have to admit that if you talked like that to me I would have been tempted to shoot you too.”
Chris and Duff went white then Jack let them off the hook. “Just kidding boys.” Both boys took a deep breath and sighed. “Chris get the gun and bring it to me. Hold it by the handle and do not touch the trigger